The present invention relates to a disk player having a magazine for holding a plurality of disks and which capable of continuous playback of disks from the magazine. In particular, the disk player of the present invention has a magazine with a securing mechanism for preventing displacement of disks within the magazine due to vibration or inclination of the disk player.
Disk players with various magazine configurations exist. One type of magazine configuration is disclosed in Japanese laid-open publication No. 4-38663 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,210,728). The magazine configuration disclosed in this publication purports to reduce size requirements for the magazine. The magazine disclosed has a screw shaft, for raising and lowering the magazine, which passes through spindle holes of disks within the magazine. Carriages support the disks in the magazine. The carriages have a 8 cm diameter disk mounting recess for mounting small-diameter disks and a 12 cm diameter disk mounting recess for mounting large-diameter disks. Only disks raised above a predetermined level of a top of the screw shaft are removable from the magazine.
While disks below a top of the screw shaft are secured in place by the screw shaft passing through the spindle holes of the disks so disposed, disks above the top of the screw shaft are not secured by the screw shaft and are subject to displacement. Thus, disks above the top of the screw shaft, especially the 8cm disks, are subject to displacement by vibrations or an inclination of the disk player. In the case of the 8 cm disk, it is possible for the disk to be dislodged from a small diameter recess of the carriage to a 12 cm disk mounting recess. Such a dislodgement results in damage to both the dislodged disk and the disk player when the magazine is lowered and the top of the screw shaft engages the dislodged disk.
Another type of magazine is proposed by the present applicant in Japanese Patent Application No. 5-71178. Carriages are stacked upon each other and pivotally supported within the magazine. Each carriage has a recess for supporting a disk such that the disks are secured between the carriages in the stack. Carriages are extracted from the stack by lifting a front end of a carriage above a selected carriage. Subsequent to the lifting of the carriage, the selected carriage is withdrawn from the magazine to a disk playback position. The lifting of the carriage above the selected carriage provides a clearance margin above a disk on the selected carriage. When the disk is at the playback position, the clearance margin allows the disk to be raised to effect playing while still overlapping disks remaining in the magazine.
When all the carriages are held stacked in the magazine, the disks are maintained in the carriages by the carriages supported immediately above the disks. However, when a selected carriage is moved to the eject position, a disk on a carriage below the selected carriage is no longer constrained by the selected carriage. Therefore, the disk is subject to displacement by large vibrations or inclinations of the disk player.
The prior art devices discussed above are both designed to keep disks secured in place in the magazines, however, each remains subject to some extent to disk displacement due to mechanical shock or tilting of the disk player. Therefore, there remains a need for a disk player with improved immunity to mechanical shock and dislocation.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a disk player which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a disk player having a magazine which securely holds disks in place regardless of vibrations.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a disk player capable of accepting two sizes of disks and securely storing both sizes in an internal magazine.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a disk player which maintains disks stored therein in a secure state during substantially every mode of operation.
Briefly stated, the present invention provides a disk player having a magazine for storing disks and a disk transport mechanism transporting a selected disk between a playback position outside the magazine and a store position located entirely within the magazine. The carriages are stacked upon each other and pivotally supported within the magazine. The carriages are extracted from the stack by lifting a front end of a carriage above a selected carriage. Subsequent to the lifting of the carriage, the selected carriage is withdrawn from the magazine to the playback position. When a selected carriage is moved to the playback position, the disks on carriages above and below the selected carriage are prevented from shifting with the removal of the selected carriage by coaxial opposing shafts which extend through spindle holes in the disks on the carriages above and below the selected disk. A closeable gap between the two shafts permits the selected disk to be shifted. The gap is closed, except when a carriage is being shifted into or out of the magazine, thereby preventing disks and their carriages from shifting due to vibration or tilting of the cabinet.
In accordance with these and other objects of the invention, there is provided a disk player for playing disks having spindle holes comprising: a magazine having holding means for holding disks; means for reading a selected disk of the disks moved to a playback position; means for transporting the selected disk between the playback position and a store position within the magazine; a first shaft extending into the magazine, through a spindle hole of at least one of the disks in the magazine and having an end in the magazine at a first position; a second shaft extending into the magazine opposing the first shaft; the second shaft extending through a spindle hole of at least another of the disks held in the magazine and having an end in the magazine at a second position; and the first and second positions defining a gap, aligned in a common plane with the playback position, allowing the selected disk to be transported between the store position in the magazine and the playback position.
According to a feature of the invention, there is further provided a disk player of further comprising: means for slidably mounting the second shaft; and means for shifting the second shaft in an axial direction to a lock position, closing the gap, thereby securing the disks in the magazine by extensions of each of the first and second shafts through spindle holes of the disks.
According to a still further feature of the invention, there is further provided a disk player for playing disks having spindle holes comprising: a magazine having means for holding disks; means for reading a selected disk of the disks moved to a playback position; means for transporting the selected disk between the playback position and a store position within the magazine; a first shaft extending into the magazine, through a spindle hole of at least one of the disks held in the magazine and having an end in the magazine at a first position; a second shaft extending into the magazine opposing the first shaft; means for slidably mounting the second shaft; the second shaft extending through a spindle hole of at least another of the disks held in the magazine and having an end in the magazine at a second position; the first and second positions defining a gap, aligned in a common plane with the playback position, allowing the selected disk to be transported between the store position in the magazine and the playback position; locking means for shifting the second shaft in an axial direction to a lock position, closing the gap, thereby securing the disks in the magazine by extensions of each of the first and second shafts through spindle holes of the disks; and the locking means including means for biasing the second shaft toward the first shaft and means for displacing the second shaft in a direction opposing the means for biasing.
According to a still further feature of the invention, there is provided a magazine for storing disks having spindle holes comprising: means for holding disks in a concentric array with the spindle holes aligned; a shaft extending through the spindle holes of the disks to secure the disks in the magazine; means for slidably mounting the shaft; and means for retracting the shaft at least partially from the magazine to allow withdrawal or insertion of a disk in the magazine.
The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate the same elements.
The object of the present invention is to provide a device for playing back disks that eliminates the problems noted above. The present invention comprises: a magazine capable of holding a plurality of disks; means for playing back disks; first means for moving a selected disk from the magazine to the disk playback position, for mounting to means for playing back disks; a first disk lock shaft extending from one side of the magazine through the disk spindle hole held within the magazine, and to a point not obstructing the movement of the selected disk; and a second disk lock shaft extending from the other side of the magazine through the disk spindle hole held within the magazine, and to a point not obstructing the movement of the selected disk.
According to the device of the present invention, as described above, the first disk lock shaft constrains movement of the disk in the magazine stored above the selected disk, and the second disk lock shaft constrains movement of the disk in the magazine stored above the selected disk.
The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate the same elements.